The Price of Equivalent Exchange
by nightdragon386
Summary: Ed has payed for his sins, but will the price of equivalent exchange ever stop taking from him? First fanfic. Plot is still evolving. Enjoy! Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Ed lay looking up at the sky and the clouds that moved slowly above him. Not a care flitted through his mind. This was a rare moment…quiet…almost normal. The teen sighed. If only life could be so simple. He pushed himself up off the lush emerald blanket of grass. There were places he and his brother, Al, needed to be. They were due at headquarters in less than an hour, for one thing. Considering they had missed the train that would have gotten them there half an hour late, and the next one was not arriving for another half-hour, Ed knew that he was destined to be fed the riot act as soon as he finally made it to his destination.

One thing he couldn't stand was the smug look on Colonel Mustang's face whenever he got to chastise the young state alchemist for his minor transgressions. That, and the fact that the damn Colonel seemed to enjoy poking fun at Ed's height. The teen had always been a bit touchy about his short stature, but it became a full blown complex when someone went out of his or her way to comment on it. Al often found himself holding a fuming Ed back in an attempt to keep him from hurting someone, or himself.

Ed rose to his feet and walked back to the station, it was only a short distance away, but he had needed some time to himself to clear his head before heading back to Central. Being a state alchemist, Ed's life was not his own. Though he was permitted to travel the country and do alchemic research on a gem known as the Philosopher's Stone, he was still a dog of the military, bound to the whims and wishes of his superior officers. It wasn't that bad, for the most part, but Ed absolutely hated the paperwork that came along with his position. It was such a waste of time, usually thrown into a filing cabinet without being read anyway. Unfortunately, to gain access to the resources he and his brother needed to reach their goal of regaining what they had lost, Ed had to comply with procedure and continue to serve as a state alchemist. _I just have to bear it a bit longer. Someday, when Al and I are back to normal, I can quit the military and lead a peaceful life._

With his hands in his pockets, Ed strolled over to where his brother, a big suit of armor, sat waiting patiently for the train. "Oh, hello, brother. Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yeah, Al, but nothing can make me feel any better about having to report to that damn Mustang again."

"He's not that bad, Ed. You just don't get along with him because he tells you you're short," replied Al.

"Hey! Don't call me short!" raged Ed.

"Calm down brother, I was only kidding," Al said, laughing.

The horn of a train sounded in the distance and the two brothers stopped their banter to gather their limited belongings in preparation for the trip ahead.

As soon as the train arrived, the Elrics hastily boarded and found their seats, attempting to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. However, such a task is hard when a seven foot tall suit of armor squeezes past rows of incredulous passengers. Sinking heavily into the seats nearest the back, the brothers sighed in relief, they had made it this far without any questions.

Ed sat brooding as he stared out the window. Though he had seen far more than anyone his age should have, the thought never crossed his mind that he should let others share his burden. Truthfully, there were many who would love to take up that task, but Ed never allowed it. He stood by his belief that it was his hardship to bear no matter what the cost. Not once did he allow Al to think that any of what had happened was his fault. After all, it had been Ed who had pushed his younger brother into performing forbidden human transmutation despite his misgivings. As a result, Al had lost his body and, very nearly, his life. If Ed had not thought on his feet, giving up his arm to bind his brother's soul to the suit of armor that now sat in from of him, he would have died that day, another casualty lost to the abyss of illicit alchemy. Fortunately, the worst had not happened, and Al was still alive, in the loosest definition of the term. Ed was determined to get back what he had so foolishly caused his younger brother to lose.

The time flew by and soon the train was pulling into the station at Central. The Fullmetal alchemist heaved a sigh and pushed himself to his feet. One step closer to the dreaded report to Mustang. Perhaps if he just walked slowly…


	2. Chapter 2

As Ed entered headquarters and navigated the halls towards Mustang's office, he greeted the various people he knew as he passed them by. Al followed suit. At last, they reached the dreaded destination. Riza Hawkeye met them at the door.

"Edward! Alphonse!" she exclaimed. No one had expected them back in Central, except for the Colonel.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Ed inclined his head towards her, and then turned towards his brother. "Al, you stay here. I'll only be a few minutes. I hope." Ed muttered the last statement under his breath as he headed past Hawkeye and into the room beyond. The teen stood at attention, obviously uncomfortable in the presence of his superior.

"Well, Fullmetal, you're late…as usual. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today; otherwise you might be in danger of getting burned…if you know what I mean. I take it you're here to hand in your report."

Edward grunted a reply and dug the report out of the lining of his jacket. "Here it is. I'll be going now…"

"Not so fast," Mustang cut the young alchemist short. "You didn't think you'd get off that easy, did you? I want to hear a complete account of your findings, from your own mouth. It has been painfully obvious in the past that your reports are somewhat lacking in detail, especially those details which I consider important. God knows no one reads these damn things anyway. We just file them away without a backward glance."

"Sorry, Mustang. Maybe later. You see Al and I just got back into town and I told him I'd only be a minute. So you understand that…"

"Edward, sit." Once again the older man cut him off. And this time he meant business. Hearing Roy use his real name, Ed obeyed the command and seated himself in an uncomfortable chair. "Now, tell me, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing important really, you know, the usual. Dead ends, no leads, homunculi," Ed said the last word softly, hoping Mustang wouldn't hear him.

"Excuse me, but did you just say homunculi?" the colonel asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Did I? Maybe."

"Fullmetal, something is going on here that you aren't being completely honest about, however, I don't have time to manipulate it out of you right now. We'll be continuing this conversation in the near future. For now, you are free to go."

Ed glared at the man sitting opposite him for a moment before rising to his feet. With a nod, the teen turned and walked as fast as he thought he could without raising suspicion. As he shut the door behind him, Ed heaved a sigh of relief. He had come really close to spilling his guts in there. The last thing he needed was the military concerned in the business of the homunculi and the Philosopher's stone. Although interest arose every now and then in the more corrupt of the senior officers, Ed and Al had been able to research in peace up to this point. However, this was becoming increasingly more difficult with the homunculi on their tails. They'd had three close calls in the last month alone, on of which almost landed the shorter of the two brothers in the hospital, but it wasn't important for Mustang to know any of that. _It's my burden to carry,_ Ed thought.

The Fullmetal Alchemist met up with his brother in the hallway where he had left him, and they headed to their dorm room to get settled back in, for a few days at least.

_On the outskirts of the city, in a dark pub filled with cigar smoke and the stench of other not-so-legal drugs…_

"That Edward Elric is becoming a real pain," the homunculi called Envy stated out-loud to his partners, Lust and Gluttony. "We have to do something about him."

"Don't be so short sighted, that boy could be the key to the Philosopher's Stone…and becoming human. We'll use him first to forge the stone. If he survives that, then you are welcome to do with him as you please," Lust replied in a sultry voice. Gluttony only snickered.

"Well then…if that's what you think we should do, let's put our plan into action. If all goes well, Edward Elric is only three short days away from never seeing the light of day again," Envy laughed greedily.

"You just wait and see, we'll be human again before long…even if it comes at the cost of that pipsqueak's life," the corners of Lust's mouth turned up in a smirk that would turn even the most evil of hearts to stone.

Miles away, the Elric brothers had no idea that they were in for the ride of their lives.


End file.
